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Juan Mata believes Manchester United's mid-season trip to Dubai has helped him settle into life with David Moyes' side.

Last Updated: 18/02/14 9:13am

Juan Mata: Has appreciated the break from Premier League action

With United out of the FA Cup, David Moyes took his team to the Middle East for warm-weather training for five days after the 0-0 draw with Arsenal last week.

The Spaniard has made a steady start to life at Old Trafford following his £37m move from Chelsea in January and says Dubai has helped him further integrate with the squad.

"These kind of breaks always help to make the group even stronger and to switch off a bit from the different competitions and the tight schedule," Mata wrote on his personal blog.

"Personally, these days are good for me to settle even more in the team and share these moments with my team-mates and also, obviously, to train hard and get used to the new working patterns after just three weeks in the club.

"These are long days, with training sessions and events with sponsors; we spend a lot of time together.

"The club thought a few days of work far from Manchester would be good for us, in order to recharge our batteries with a view to the final stage of the season.

"Tomorrow we fly back to Manchester to get ready for our next game in the Premiership and we hope to start a good run of results."

United currently lie seventh in the Premier League, 11 points off the Champions League qualification places.